The original case against a Middle Smithfield Township man, charged with brutally beating and holding his ex-girlfriend against her will, was withdrawn in district court Wednesday.

A new case, alleging only one count of a less severe simple-assault charge, will be filed against Garrett Turner, 26, said defense attorney Brett Riegel. Marshalls Creek Magisterial District Judge Brian Germano decided this, Riegel said.

“I think it's fair to say there was insufficient evidence supporting the charges that ended up being withdrawn,” Riegel said. “I applaud the District Attorney's Office for conducting a thorough investigation into the credibility of those original charges after filing them.”

Turner had been charged in March with two felony counts of aggravated assault, one felony count of kidnapping, two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and one misdemeanor count each of unlawful restraint and false imprisonment.

Turner's ex-girlfriend said she went to his home to break up with him and get her belongings and that he then became violent, according to state police. She said he beat and held her there against her will for the next two days, until she was finally able to call her mother to come pick her up, according to police.

She went to Pocono Medical Center for her injuries two days later and filed a report with state police. The next day, she filed a nine-month Protection From Abuse order against Turner and, a day after that, he was charged.

Germano dismissing the original case Wednesday “makes for a cleaner resolution,” Riegel said, adding that Turner plans to plead guilty to the new misdemeanor simple-assault charge. As of Wednesday, Turner was released from jail, since there was no more bail with the original case being dismissed, Riegel said.